Yeap, you’ve got that right: we first started as a team back in 2009 as RoNewMedia – a local event held in Bucharest, Romania -, that later evolved and became a regional festival as iCEE.fest (2012) and, starting 2019, UPGRADE 100.

Cutting out the PR bullshit - everybody claims that their project is the biggest and the greatest, right? - we honestly can say that we are one of the largest and the most significant digital and tech related initiatives started in the CEE and SE Europe region.

The project evolved, beyond the main annual festival, as a complex concept.

The festival is attracting each year around 4,000 attendees from over 20 countries and up to 200 internationally acknowledged speakers.

Adding our weekly radio show and podcast, the web presence and our mobile app we’ve managed to build in time a community of more than 12,000 esteemed experts, entrepreneurs and digital and tech enthusiasts, connecting all year long the CEE region with the rest of the world.

UPGRADE 100 is our new development phase, as a 360 degrees professional media brand, providing high-quality knowledge for our digital and tech professional community, through multiple channels: an annual festival, a weekly radio show and podcast, a permanent news website and newsletters plus a networking app – where you can enjoy our virtual festival and more.

We are doing our best in providing high quality, engaging content through the carefully curated radio shows, conferences and master classes as well as the experiential areas (indoor and outdoor) featuring the latest items in tech and media.

Top brands and world class agencies make up 40% of our audience and attendees range from C-level (20%) to management and executive levels (18%). It’s this scale and value proposition that makes us the perfect date for anyone looking to get ahead in marketing and media.

We cover various aspects of the spectacular world of digital transformation, starting with content, creativity, VR & AR, awareness and performance marketing, adtech, martech, apps and mobile, e-commerce, fintech, e-health, robotics, AI, gaming and more.

We work hard and we party harder: stand up comedy shows, live music and famous DJ’s are also part of our DNA.

Business, networking and fun: this is our „secret recipe”. So, join us in Bucharest, Romania in June - I’m sure you won’t regret it. Or say „hi” using our contact form and let’s explore win-win oportunities.

Yours,
Dragos Stanca
Founder